Chapter 441
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 441
Chapter 441. Unexpected (4)
The thought suddenly crossed his mind, but he couldn't reveal it in front of Master Kwon.
“I see. It is a very interesting artifact. It is indeed worthy of being a gift from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“That's right.”
As we talked, the break time ended.
We returned to our respective places and continued the excavation work.
By the way, are the books and letters wrapped in red cloth that I found in the box really the royal artifacts?
Geum-ryeong reacted to them, but I don't know if it was because of the gold bars, the books, or the red cloth.
Perhaps she reacted to all three.
I want to test if the cloth is indeed a sacred object, but if I use it here, I might get caught, so I'll have to put it off for now.
Time passed, and the excavation work was finally complete.
Despite all our hard work, everyone's hands were empty.
If there was anything, it would be the sword of the Blood Demon.
Or perhaps it would be something to chat about over a drink when the prohibition on alcohol was lifted in the future?
However, there was no regret on anyone's faces.
Through the excavation work, they had learned all too well what would have happened to them if they had entered there.
They were relieved to be able to leave this place safely.
The first to leave were the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult members.
They didn't even say goodbye, and when everyone woke up, they were already gone.
Next, the Black Dao group left, leaving only the Martial Alliance and the orthodox sects behind.
After a quick lunch of dumplings, a meeting was held.
It was a meeting to discuss what to do next.
“First, our side will withdraw tomorrow.”
Elder Kyungsanja looked at everyone and continued.
“I will be sure to tell the Alliance Leader about the generous support of everyone gathered here.”
“What are you going to do with the remains of Grand Master Hyukgon Seung?”
“First, we will take them to the Martial Alliance and hand them over to the Shaolin Temple.”
In other words, they would take the remains of Grand Master Xue Gongcheng to the Martial Alliance, but leave everything else to Shaolin Temple.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
The next morning.
As soon as we finished breakfast, our group said goodbye to Elder Kyungsanja and the others.
“I thought you would come with us to the Martial Alliance, but I'm sorry that won't be possible.”
“I would like to go with you, but I am in a position to lead the Yeongseonmin family, so please understand.”
“It can't be helped. Please return safely.”
With that, we said our goodbyes and descended Yeonji Mountain.
Thus, the matter concerning the sword of the late Grand Master Hyeokgon was settled.
Of course, my personal business was still unfinished.
As I descended, I was lost in thought.
What should I do about the two Royal Guards?
If I reported everything as it was, the fate of the two Masters would be clear.
But what if I didn't report this to the emperor?
That was impossible.
The emperor would know that I had deliberately left something out.
“Are you sure you haven't found anything? I know your abilities. If you really don't know anything, then I must have overestimated your abilities. Well... In that case, shall I revoke your rights to the style book?”
The thought alone was terrifying.
“Ugh...”
When I shivered, Seo Woo asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about.”
“I'm fine. It's nothing, don't worry about it.”
I said that and rode away.
Yes, that's exactly what the emperor would do.
Well, there's nothing I can do.
They knew that they would be discovered and risked their lives, and they also knew that treason was punishable by death.
So even if they die, it won't be unfair.
But there was something that bothered me about telling him the truth.
In my previous life, there had never been a rebellion of the imperial family around this time of year.
In the first place, the emperor had a tight grip on the imperial family, so a rebellion was impossible.
If someone were to start a rebellion in such a situation, I would applaud them wholeheartedly.
This time, with the help of Geum-ryeong, Jin-yu Musha found out where the letter had been delivered and reported it to me.
It was the residence of Changseongwang in Junggyeong.
That was also very strange.
Changseongwang was the emperor's son and remained loyal to his father and brother until the end.
Then... Ah!
You old snake!
I almost cursed the emperor without realizing it.
Fortunately, I didn't commit the sacrilege of saying it out loud.
This was the emperor's test for me.
He wanted to see if I was capable and if he could trust me.
And he also wanted to see how I handled things.
Wow...
If I didn't have memories of my previous life, I would have been fooled.
This is really scary. I'm scared.
How could he deceive me so completely?
As expected, the Royal Guards are truly formidable.
Now that I think about it, there were a few things that didn't add up.
Master Kwon Jik told me about the artifact without hesitation, and he didn't seem greedy.
Most people who risk their lives to commit treason do so because they want something.
Everyone claims to be fighting for a noble cause, but most of them are just greedy.
But there was another thing that puzzled me.
A remark Master Kwon Jik muttered under his breath.
“Why are they looking for that artifact so desperately? It's not like they can take the throne just by having it.”
If this was a test, Master Kwon must have known I was there and muttered under his breath.
But I am far more skilled than him, so he couldn't have known that.
“Young master.”
At that moment, Pal-gap called me.
“Why?”
“I'm a little embarrassed to ask this, but could it be that you have a lover?”
“What do you mean, a lover? What are you talking about?”
“For the past few days, there has been a sweet scent around you. This scent is definitely a scent that women like. The fact that you smell like this means that you received a sachet from the young mistress you met at Yeonji Mountain! So, confess!”
I said with a look of disbelief.
“You're barking up the wrong tree. When did I have time to have a romantic encounter?”
Pal-gap turned his head away, looking embarrassed, and replied.
“...That's true.”
Seo-woo, who was standing next to him, tilted his head and asked.
“But how could you make such a ridiculous assumption based on the scent of your liege?”
“He smells the same as always.”
The other warriors agreed.
What was going on? Was Pal-gap sensing a scent that neither I nor the other warriors could detect?
“I thought it was a familiar scent...”
Lee Pil, the only warrior who did not agree with the others, spoke up.
“The scent began to emanate from His Liege about two days after we arrived. It is a scent that only those who have undergone special training can detect.”
“Could it be? Is it Tracking Incense?”
“Yes. And there was one more person there who smelled of it. His name is Kwon Jik.”
“...”
“But I wonder how he got his hands on that incense. That incense is forbidden to be taken outside the palace.”
If Lee Pil noticed it, then it must be the Sichuan Tang Clan's incense.
Even if it is forbidden to take it outside the palace, the emperor is the emperor. If the emperor asks for it, they have to give it to him.
“I was going to tell you, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't. I'm sorry.”
“It's okay.”
So you knew.
Master Kwon Jik knew I was nearby because of the incense and muttered those words.
I thought he was speaking a little loudly...
“What was his purpose in doing that?”
“I guess he just liked me. By the way, how do you remove this scent?”
“It will disappear in about a month, but you need some medicine to remove it immediately. It's not difficult to find, so you can get it in Lanzhou.”
“I would appreciate it.”
“I will take care of it.”
But is this the scent of the Tang family?
Didn't the Sichuan Tang Clan send reinforcements this time?
Did they also notice the tracking incense on my body?
When I quietly asked Lee Pil about this, he shook his head.
“The current tracking incense can only be detected by direct descendants. No one from the Sichuan Tang Clan came this time, so no one would have noticed.”
That's a relief...
I breathed a sigh of relief, but then tilted my head.
Didn't he say that only direct descendants of the Sichuan Tang Clan who had undergone special training could recognize this tracking incense?
Then... how did Pal-gap recognize it?
I looked at Pal-gap with that question in mind.
“I just misidentified it. You're embarrassing me.”
As expected, he is unaware of it.
That aside...
Does he know that I blew up the sword?
I thought about it for a moment, but I didn't think so.
At that time, he would have been escorting those who were fetching water.
Anyway, testing me like this...
The emperor wouldn't have tested me suddenly for no reason.
I think I heard that he tests people like this before entrusting them with important tasks...
“...!”
Now I could see the emperor's intention.
He wants to use this incident as an opportunity to give me more important tasks.
As that thought crossed my mind, any desire to give the emperor a taste of his own medicine flew out the window.
An alarm bell rang in my head.
Should I run away?
I really, truly, with all my heart, desperately want to run away.
But...
Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?
* * *
Eunseoho and Yeongseonmin's party left, and the others began to leave one by one.
“We are ready to leave.”
Kwon Jik ordered the person who came to report to wait for a moment.
“Wait a moment. Let's take our time.”
“Yes, sir.”
As he went to where his party was, Kwon Jik approached him.
“What are you thinking about?”
Kwon Jik smiled slightly and replied to his question.
“I was thinking about Captain Eun Seo-ho.”
“Ah... I guess you like him.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Aren't you smiling?”
Hearing that, Kwon Jik raised his hand and touched his mouth. Just as Kwon Eul said, he was smiling.
“It's been a long time since I've seen you smile, Hyung-nim.”
“You're an interesting person.”
To be honest, he didn't understand why the emperor trusted Eun Seo-ho so much and kept him close.
“I'm grateful that he saved Master Jin-yeong and the Royal Guards, but that's all.”
So when the emperor told him to test Eun Seo-ho, he made up his mind.
He would use this opportunity to test him thoroughly.
Eun Seo-ho had better be prepared.
He would not let him get away with anything.
However, Eun Seo-ho, who had been watching from the sidelines, was a talented man worthy of the emperor's trust.
When Seo Ryun-hae's foolish Mister insulted Eun Seo-ho and his maternal family, he honestly thought that Eun Seo-ho would beat him mercilessly.
However, Eun Seo-ho did not do so, but instead had him train with a 50-kilogram training device.
Furthermore, he somehow persuaded Mister Hae-joon's uncle to supervise the training himself.
It would be better to get beaten a few times. That would be truly painful.
He also suggested dividing the meeting area into three equal parts to prevent it from turning into a useless battle, and he got his way.
Is that all?
He always showed up when there was a problem and made sure it was resolved smoothly.
If it weren't for Eun Seo-ho, I wouldn't have even dreamed of leaving like this.
In fact, when he went down to Yeonji Mountain a few days ago under the pretext of escorting those who were drawing water, his heart sank.
This was because he could smell the incense given to him by the emperor, but he could not sense Eun Seo-ho's presence.
This meant that Eun Seo-ho was a better martial artist than him.
There was a reason why the emperor gave him the incense.
“Now, if he tells His Majesty the Emperor the truth about what is behind this, I will have to meet him often.”
As he was thinking this, a boy passed by him.
Huh?
He turned his head and saw that it was Mister Seo Yoon-hae.
He was panting as he ran around the camp. His arms and legs were still bound with iron.
“Three more laps!”
His uncle cheered him on from behind, and Mister Hae-joon looked like he was about to die.
“He's really trying hard.”
By the way, the artifact was not here.
What he told Eun Seo-ho about the bag was true.
That was why he thought there was a high possibility that the artifact was still there.
Looking at it now, it was fortunate that the sword rack had collapsed and blocked the entrance.
“How did the sword rack collapse so suddenly...?”
Suddenly, Eun Seo-ho felt as if he had expected the sword rack to collapse.
That would explain why he had remained calm while everyone else was panicking.
“Could he have collapsed it?”
But Kwon Jik quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.
“How could he have collapsed the sword rack? What a ridiculous idea!”
Before he knew it, Ha-joon had completed a lap and ran past him again.
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, Captain Eun Seo-ho didn't tell Mister to stop.”
Did he forget, or did he deliberately not say anything?
Only Eun Seo-ho himself would know.
“Well, that training is good for him, so it doesn't matter.”